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The farmingfriends website was set up at the end of 2006 and started as a diary of daily life on the farm but has grown into an online magazine and forum community packed with information, resources and products relating to farming, keeping livestock, food and nature. If you are a farmer, smallholder, animal enthusiast, parent, child or anyone interested in animals and the farming lifestyle, then the Farming Friends website and forum is for you.

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Cattle

We grow fodder beet here on the farm as a feed for the cattle. Fodder beet is a similar plant to the more commonly seen sugar beet plant. The sugar content is lower, but the yield per acre is typically somewhat higher. Sugar beet growers may typically expect to grow between 20 and 30 tonnes … Read more

This week the cattle have left the fold yard and have gone out to graze, no more silage and fodder beet for them but lovely green grass to eat! The cattle first went out onThursday and came in at night for the first two nights as we had a cow to inject with antibiotics due … Read more

A charolais cross bull calf was born on the farm yesterday. The calf has a lovely natured limousin mother and the father is a charolais bull. The cow needed to be helped with the birth as the calf was a large bull calf and was taking some time to come out, so the farmer’s helped … Read more

I have just been reading in Defra’s Farming Link magazine that Great Britain has been officially free of brucellosis since 1985. Brucellosis of cattle, also known as contagious abortion and Bangs disease, is caused by an infection with the bacterium Brucella abortus. This bacterium not only affects cattle, but also sheep, goats and pigs. Brucellosis … Read more

Cow number 32 had a calf in the early hours of Wednesday morning. When I went out at 7am the calf was standing and looked like it had been born for some time. It didn’t take me long to realise this was a newborn calf as the cow was very protective and acting in an … Read more

As well as damaging the liver of the cattle, liver fluke can reduce milk production in dairy cattle and lower feed conversion rates in beef cattle. Principle signs of liver fluke in cattle are: Gradual loss of condition. Progressive weight loss. Reduction in milk yields. Bottlejaw. Abdominal swelling. Animals may become jaundiced. Cattle reluctant to … Read more

We have had 10 heifers grazing in the paddock and back field all Summer and today we moved them indoors for the Winter. The heifers will be wormed in the next few days a standard practice afer spending the Summer months grazing the fields. One of the heifers has stiff back legs so we have … Read more

Monday is market day and if livestock are ready for sale then Monday is the day they go. We have had two bulls in the fold yard all Summer. They are lovely bulls and I have got quite fond of them and have given them names, which is never a good idea! They were given … Read more

When do farmer’s prefer their cows to calve? We prefer to calve our herd of beef cattle cows after the end of February and through Spring. Dear Sara, I am conducting some research and wonder if you might be able to help. Can you tell me when do farmers generally prefer their cows to calf … Read more

Today the cattle went out to grass for the first time. All the cows, the bull and the calves were rounded up in the fold yard passage way this morning whilst I held the gates so they couldn’t all charge out. I have to say it’s scary when all the cows are facing you and … Read more